2020 RAM 3500 problems

BACK OVER PREVENTION

The contact owns a 2020 Ram Promaster 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V552000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera displayed an upside-down or distorted image. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11730803 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the engine overheated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cooling fan module had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.

NHTSA complaint #11720681 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the engine overheated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cooling fan module had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.

NHTSA complaint #11720681 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, the gear shifter shifted into drive independently, causing the vehicle to roll away. The vehicle stopped before crashing. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.

NHTSA complaint #11718941 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

BACK OVER PREVENTION

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V552000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA complaint #11702494 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal ticking sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with high-pressure fuel pump failure, but the vehicle was not repaired at the time. The contact stated that upon pulling into a parking lot, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the high-pressure fuel pump had imploded, causing damage to the fuel system. The dealer related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V880000 (Fuel System, Diesel), and the vehicle was repaired; however, the contact later became aware that the dealer had replaced the high-pressure fuel pump with the same part. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be serviced, the mechanic informed the contact that the high-pressure fuel pump installed on the vehicle was not the recall part, but the same defective part. The mechanic recorded the high-pressure fuel pump and part number, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was confirmed that the recall part had not been installed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The contact stated that the dealer delayed performing the recall repair free of charge, which required the contact to pay for the replacement of the high-pressure fuel pump with the correct part. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer failed to complete the recall repair free of charge. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

NHTSA complaint #11686066 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front wheels became inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle was pulling to one side. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the front wheel studs had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA complaint #11666152 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Abs module has failed twice since truck purchased.

NHTSA complaint #11659464 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

Abs module has failed twice since truck purchased.

NHTSA complaint #11659464 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Codes: P2002, P242F, P2463, P1451 Failures: DPF, Charge air cooler leak, PM sensors, EGR internally cracked, Catalytic Convertor, Pink tinged oil, strong diesel odor in oil - post failures. Erratic def gauge readings, unstable idling, clunking downshift when exhaust brake decelerates, warm up stumbling. Power reduced, see dealer (over and over and over and over). Limp Mode (5 MPH). Permanent ticks/taps from front left motor, front passenger wheel well, passenger side mid-truck. Extremely loose gear shifter plus an occasional “Vehicle Not in Part” message on the dash display. Manufacturers Service Center (local and ONLY Ram dealership) has reproduced the issue. Independent Diesel Mechanic shop also reproduced. Service center and Independent shop both inspected. The safety issues of a 5 MPH limp mode and risk of sudden engine stalls while driving in traffic, especially on an interstate should be fairly self explanatory… As is a constant “Power Reduced See Dealer” problem, when your truck is used to do what it’s designed to do… Tow large loads. As is an extremely loose gear shifter that doesn’t always properly register as “in Park”. The date listed below is simply the date of the very first occurrence. It’s not a representation of every date after. The most recent date was just last week.

NHTSA complaint #11644228 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Codes: P2002, P242F, P2463, P1451 Failures: DPF, Charge air cooler leak, PM sensors, EGR internally cracked, Catalytic Convertor, Pink tinged oil, strong diesel odor in oil - post failures. Erratic def gauge readings, unstable idling, clunking downshift when exhaust brake decelerates, warm up stumbling. Power reduced, see dealer (over and over and over and over). Limp Mode (5 MPH). Permanent ticks/taps from front left motor, front passenger wheel well, passenger side mid-truck. Extremely loose gear shifter plus an occasional “Vehicle Not in Part” message on the dash display. Manufacturers Service Center (local and ONLY Ram dealership) has reproduced the issue. Independent Diesel Mechanic shop also reproduced. Service center and Independent shop both inspected. The safety issues of a 5 MPH limp mode and risk of sudden engine stalls while driving in traffic, especially on an interstate should be fairly self explanatory… As is a constant “Power Reduced See Dealer” problem, when your truck is used to do what it’s designed to do… Tow large loads. As is an extremely loose gear shifter that doesn’t always properly register as “in Park”. The date listed below is simply the date of the very first occurrence. It’s not a representation of every date after. The most recent date was just last week.

NHTSA complaint #11644228 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE)

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, he noticed that coolant was leaking underneath the vehicle. The EGR warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon adding coolant to the EGR valve, the contact noticed that coolant was still leaking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the EGR valve had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

NHTSA complaint #11627960 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500 equipped with Atturo Tires, Tire Line: Trail Blade A/T, Tire Size: 235/80/R17, DOT Number: KA0HD80R4223. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the front passenger's side tire experienced a blowout. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. Upon inspecting the tire, the contact noticed that the tread had separated, causing the tire to blowout. The contact replaced the tire with the spare tire. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front end of the vehicle was shuddering. The vehicle was taken to the tire shop, where it was determined that the front driver's side tire tread had separated. The front driver's side tire was replaced under warranty. The tires were replacement tires. The tire manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The tire failure mileage was approximately 4,000. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

NHTSA complaint #11615174 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Reoccurring messages regarding DEF, Exhaust Regeneration, and DPF, causing more and more frequent ReGen for longer and longer. Numerous trips to various Ram dealerships resulting in codes being cleared and then being told it was a software issue. After 2 years of this intermittently happening, we experienced an extended Regen that lasted hours and did not clear out the error code. Ram dealer in Utah charged $280 to do a stationary regeneration and once again clear out codes. Less than 6 months later with more and more Regens, a failed regen sent truck into Low Power Mode (losing the ability to tow or excelerate quickly). We ended up having to take it to a Ram dealer over 2 hours away in S. Atlanta to have them take it apart and tell us that the factory installed wiring harness rubbed a hole in the charged air cooler boot which was then causing failed regeneration of the diesel particulates causing the filter to fill. Dealer clearly stated that had any other dealer done a visual inspection of the physical components they would have seen this occurring. We filed a claim and opened a case with Ram for the $4500 repair and waited 8 days with no response to 9 phone calls. The same day we authorized the work, we receive the coveted return call to start the process, but once the customer service rep found out we had already authorized the work we were advised that case would be closed and we would have to open another case for reimbursement. So we started the whole process again, submitted all of the documentation and paid receipts and have been denied. All attempts to contact a supervisor or manager go nowhere and Ram customer service is rude and unhelpful and went as far as to tell us that our mistake was having the vehicle repaired (as if we are just going to let an $80k vehicle sit indefinitely in an unusable state).

NHTSA complaint #11613771 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V880000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA complaint #11611006 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V835000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA complaint #11589870 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V835000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA complaint #11589870 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TIRES

I live in northern California near San Francisco, and we were traveling from Cottonwood, AZ back to our home. Back in June of 2023 we were traveling near Kingman, AZ and had the front passenger tire explode, almost losing control of the truck and trailer. We were at 19524 miles on the truck. At the time I thought that maybe I had hit something. But two months later I took the trailer to Carson City, NV for work and just before I got into Reno the truck started to shake from side to side in the front and the next day I took it to a tire shop and they told me that the driver’s front tire was getting ready to come apart and I had only put about 800 miles on the truck since the first tire had exploded. This was when I realized the issue was the tires. I immediately had all 6 tires replaced. You can find a lot of bad comments about these tires on-line with comments like what happened to me. EXAMPLE [XXX] In response to your questions 1.I don’t have the tires that died just pictures. 2.After the blowout steering was difficult. 3.No Dealer confirmation. 4.No inspections. 5.Before the first tire exploded for about 20 miles I noticed a vibration in the front end. But just thought it was just the road. Tire Size - LT235/80R17 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11579991 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle was shaking and then lost motive power. The check engine warning light later illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 21V880000 (Fuel System, Diesel), 21V398000 (Wheels), and 22V904000 (Structure) were performed. However, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then towed to Gulfgate Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram (7250 Gulf Fwy, Houston, TX 77017), where it was diagnosed that the fuel line had failed, and the fuel injectors and fuel rail needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA complaint #11579254 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V880000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA complaint #11576643 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Vehicle will not go into park and shut off. I could not turn the engine off. Not having the ability to turn the motor off is a safety concern. This has progressed to where it says vehicle is not in park while vehicle is in drive and moving. The problem is intermittent and I have documented it with multiple pictures and videos and witness accounts but the dealer has not been able to reproduce the malfunction. The service representative has been helpful but has not been able to. The vehicle has not been inspected by the police or other independent representatives. The vehicle does not have any codes associated with it. This same exact series of malfuctions occurred on my 2016 Ram 2500 and the valve pack on the transmission failed and the vehicle would not move and eventually the transmission failed. Then the emission software would not extinguish the check engine light even though there were no issues. The dealer reinstalled the software and after less than 25 miles the same issue happened. I traded in the vehicle because Ram would not honor the warranty and I could not pass smog with a check engine light on and nothing wrong with the sensors or the output. Now I am having problems with the 3500 progressively going in the exact same way as the 2500. I have had to take it to the dealer 6 or 7 times in as many months and less than 10,000 miles.

NHTSA complaint #11565787 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Check engine light turned on in my 2020 dodge ram 3500, I took the truck back to the dealership. According to them the Grid Heater Relay needs to be replaced & the truck could have caught on fire if we would have kept driving like that. I have done some research and saw that there has been a recall on that same part for the 2021-2023. Could it be possible the 2020 were defective also, this is a major safety concern and should be looked into. I also don’t believe the customer should be responsible for paying for this issue to be fixed when it was my family’s safety that was jeopardized.

NHTSA complaint #11559100 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.